David Casarett MD MA is a palliative care physician and health services researcher whose work focuses on improving systems of care for people with serious, life-threatening illnesses. He is a tenured Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, the author of more than 100 scientific articles, and a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the US government to researchers in the early stages of their careers. He is also the author of three non-fiction books, the most recent of which was Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana, published in 2015 by Penguin Random House. His first novel, The Ethical Chiang Mai Detective Agency, will be published in January, 2016.